August 28, 2013 - Alissa Reddy, 21, a 2010 Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes graduate, Albion College senior and Brandon Township resident, returned earlier this month after a summer-long scientific-academic program in Germany.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD or Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst) is a publicly-funded independent organization of higher education institution in Germany. Reddy was one of 300 students awarded from the DAAD from among more than 2,000 applications nationwide.

In May, Reddy was assigned to Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Gy., where she worked with a PHD student in the study of polymers. During the laboratory study, Reddy synthesized polymers with "drug delivery" for bone cancer treatment.

The projects she was assigned were Phosphonoethylated Polyglycerol Amphiphiles: Liposomal Formulations for Bone Targeting and Allylfunctionalized Lipids for Thiol-ene Coupling Modification.

The academic trek to Germany is the second for Reddy. In the fall of 2012, she took classes at the University of Freiburg through the Institute of Education Sciences study abroad program from Albion College. While living in Freiburg she volunteed in the local city hospital while taking classes. Reddy completed three years of German classes in high school and three years in college. She is planning to graduate with a double major in German and bio-chemistry.